Shells Seafood Restaurant - Brandon

Years ago I visited a Shell's Seafood Restaurant in Ocala, Florida and was obsessed with the delicious soups, seafood, and pasta. I visited every time I was in town. Sadly, they closed and I was left with only memories of their wonderful food.

I am visiting Tampa and saw that there are three Shell's Seafood Restaurants nearby with the same logo and same menu from my memories. I chose the Brandon location for a takeout order after checking reviews and health inspections, never expecting things to taste the same. My Goodness, I've never been so happy to be wrong in my life!

We started with lobster bisque and it was creamy, full of lobster, and probably the best cup of soup I've ever had in my entire life. I followed that up with a Caesar salad, which was a huge portion of crisp, fresh romaine lettuce paired with the tastiest dressing. Finally, I had a side of linguini with cream sauce. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was plentiful and almost brought tears to my eyes, it was so delicious. I felt like I was transported 25 years back in time and eating the amazing food at the Shell's I remembered. Things are never as good as remembered, but this meal was even better than I remembered!

My husband had fried fish, parsley potatoes, and steamed vegetables. He didn't talk much while eating, so I knew he loved it.

I placed my order over the phone and the person who took my order was so patient, answering any questions I had. I picked up inside and the place was packed on a Sunday at 2 pm. Still, it looked clean and inviting. Service was quick and friendly.

Thank you, Shell's, for memories old and new!

First, we didn't know it was a chain and we meant to go to the one closer to our Airbnb in Tampa but ended up in Brandon! Either way, we had a good experience. Greeted as soon as we walked in

Our server Raul was thorough! We didn't have to wait too long for our meals. We ordered half dozen oysters & steamed shrimp (not pictured) and some cocktails to start. The oysters were HUGE! I've always had medium or small sized so this was different. We had to cut them in half because trying to slurp them was out of the question - they were ok but I wouldn't order them again at that size.

My mom had the fried snapper dinner - she said it could've used more seasoning - though it was fried, it was bland and she was expecting the whole fish not just a filet. My cousin enjoyed her crab cakes and said the shrimp was spicy. I had the snow crab legs which were delicious! I prefer mine seasoned in old bay (they weren't) but I ordered a side of it and was good to go!

Overall the food was better than expected and it satisfied the craving we had.

My husband and I were in town for the RV convention. They have several locations of the Shells Seafood, not knowing we just happened to pick the one we came to a year ago and have sat at the bar both times for quick seating opposed to waiting.
We live in Colorado, so when we come south, we definitely are going to eat seafood as much as possible since we do not have fresh seafood in Colorado.
The food is always delicious and quick service. We will definitely be back next year. Go and enjoy.

Crab cakes delicious
Got the steamed peel & eat shrimp too - big, fresh. Service was attentive and friendly. Nice crowd, comfy booths. Recommend

I went to Shells once before and recently came back a second time with my dad. We both got their jambalaya and it was so good and so well seasoned! The portion size was large which allowed us to have left overs for the next day. My dad also got their clam chowder which he enjoyed as his appetizer.

The waitress, Jocelyn, was also great - very friendly and attentive!

The food is AMAZING and the service matches! You are greeted with a smile and delicious food as well!!!

Tucked away in an older secluded strip mall sits Shells. It's nice and open inside with bar seating, tables and television. The service is great and even another server will pass by your table and clear dishes or refill drinks.
So first off the clam chowder was very good. The calamari was over breaded and over fried, so not a good choice. The seafood cioppino was again fair, first off it was served warm instead of hot. While the menu boasts huge amounts of fish it was mostly white fish, two shrimp, four small clams and some tiny bay scallops.
The crap/shrimp combo on the other had was very good. Lots of fresh shrimp and a nice sized crab portion.

Service was great! Everyone got something different off the menu and we all really enjoyed our food. Was happy to find this place.

In Florida for vacation time and have been to shells 3 times in 1 months
We love everything about Shells..
The friendly employees and great service. Never had a bad meal alway hot and plenty of it

Frequent visitor to this location.

Arrived around 5pm on Friday. No line, no waiting. The dining was filled quickly, but didn't feel loud.

Took a bit for our serve Raul to reach us. He quickly made up for it with his service. He was very attentive and accommodated all of our requests.

Everything we dined on was good. Regarding the parley potatoes, they'd be just as good if they weren't drenched in butter. IJS

Not pictured is clam chowder. Packed with clams. Very tasty.